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Turkish Girl, 16, Buried Alive for Talking to Boys

(CBS/AP)
A 16-year-old girl was buried alive as punishment for talking to boys, police said after recovering her body from a six-foot hole dug outside her home in the southeastern province of Adiyaman, Turkey.

Relatives of the girl, identified as "MM," carried out an "honor killing," reports The Guardian.

Police discovered the girl's remains — in a sitting position, her hands tied — under a chicken pen.

The Turkish paper Hurriyet reported on its Web site that police were tipped off by an informant.

The girl's father and grandfather were reportedly arrested, but it is unclear if they have been charged. The girl's mother was also arrested but later released.

The Guardian's Robert Tait writes that, according to local media reports, a postmortem exam showed soil in the girl's stomach and lungs.

The father had told relatives he was unhappy that his daughter had male friends, Tait writes.

Official figures indicate that approximately half of all murders in Turkey are "honor killings." More than 200 such murders take place each year.

For more:
Turkish Girl, 16, Buried Alive for Talking to Boys (Guardian, 2.4.10)

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